Small towns passionate about their sports

As the newest member of the CatchItKansas staff, I’m still getting used to the grind, but having fun in the process.

Getting the opportunity to get out of the office and go shoot video of area games on Tuesday’s and Friday’s is a unique opportunity.

In the past few week’s I’ve been to Rose Hill, Wichita Heights, Halstead (twice), El Dorado, Sedgwick, Haven, and most recently Remington and Berean Academy in Elbing.

As a graduate of Wichita Northwest, I often thought that the school spirit and passion for high school athletics was lacking. Not to pick on the big kid, but it just seems like small towns take a lot of pride in what is happening on the court or gridiron in their hometown.

The student sections are always rowdy, and everyone in the stands in fixated on the court and not as worried as about their plans for the rest of the night.

Last night, I travelled from the Remington girl’s game, to shoot video for the Berean boy’s game against Moundridge. Upon arriving, there was no need to ask where the gym was because the cheers were already pouring down the hallway.

While getting set up for the game and during down periods of the game, several people approached to tell me that “you should have been here earlier!” The Warrior girl’s team had just won on a buzzer-beater shot.

Little did they know, that the boys game would come down to the wire, with Moundridge’s final second shot bouncing off the back iron as time expired giving Berean a one-point win. The place went nuts!

You get a whole different experience watching a game through a tiny view finder, but you still feel the excitement and heartbreak that fans go through on a weekly basis.

So, thanks for the good times so far small towns. Then again, it was fun watching Perry Ellis and Blake Bell go toe-to-toe on the hardwood…